Their Last Eleven Days
by lo707ol
Summary: Seven knew that his world was resetting... but he didn't know exactly why. And after his heart gets broken by the same girl over and over, he finds himself getting sick of life. So what's going to happen when he finds a completely different girl crying in a corner of Rika's apartment? This is a story where the broken redhead faces something he hadn't seen for a long time: change.
1. prologue: reset

**Disclaimer: cheritz owns mystic messenger. not me. otherwise, seven wouldn't have to suffer at all!** **some of** **the dialogues and messages are also owned by cheritz! so if u see any familiar texts, it's obviously from the game.**

 **this story was based on the reset theory and the seven-loves-you-in-every-route theory lolololol**

 **BEWARE OF SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

 **anyways,** **enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _prologue: reset_**

"Will you let me to... be your life companion? My love."

Seven lost count on the number of times he heard those words.

He lost count on the number of times his heart had been ripped into shreds.

He lost count on the number of times he saw his friends reach their happy endings.

He lost count on the number of times he wasn't chosen... And he hated it.

He hated that he was the only one who knew that their world kept on resetting and resetting and resetting after merely eleven days. It was _frustrating_.

Luciel closed his eyes, recalling the first time the reset ever occurred. It happened after Zen's press conference where the actor declared his love for Aoi, the girl who made the RFA's charity event possible, to the media. Zen had shared how his feelings came to be and how he will only ever be in love with her. Seven watched them with a bright smile gracing his lips and a heavy pang in his chest because long before then, he had already realized that he had fallen for the brunette who was gazing happily at her lover.

But he had no choice but to let her go and be happy for her sake since he believed that her joy was also his. And that was enough for him to take the tiniest of steps forward in order to move on.

However, when Seven watched Zen and Aoi converse, everything suddenly went dark. He had panicked, desperately calling his friends' names. He remembered running and running and running as fast as he could until he was completely out of breath, collapsing on the ground with an erratically pounding heart.

"AOI!" He had shouted frantically. He was afraid that she might have gotten hurt. That she was alone, frightened out of her wits. That she would be gone from his life forever—just like his brother—if he didn't find her. "AOI, WHERE ARE YOU!?" He screamed his lungs out, bellowing her name and praying that she was alright. He shouted and shouted and shouted until his throat ran dry. He punched himself repeatedly, hoping that he would wake up from this nightmare, so that he would be home, eating Honey Buddha Chips and drinking Dr. Pepper as he chatted with Aoi and everyone else on the messenger. But nothing happened.

It wasn't until he was finally able to regain his composure when he heard a distant noise.

Seven stood up from his position, walking towards the unknown yet comforting music. And as he sauntered towards his destination, there was a dim glow of white light. When he finally arrived, his jaw dropped open and his knees gave in as he watched words floating in midair appear and disappear before him in disbelief.

"I've officially gone crazy," he said, laughing hysterically with tears cascading down his face. "This is impossible!"

He laughed louder and louder after each passing second until the music came to a sudden halt.

He didn't have time to wipe the tears away from his eyes because before he knew it, the scenery before him changed. A bright golden light emanated around him, so intense that he needed to cover his eyes with his hands. Once his vision was able to adapt to the overwhelming radiance, he lowered his arms.

He was greeted by an open envelope etched into space with two words inscribed right below it: **_GOOD ENDING_**.

He let the words sink in for a few seconds then yelled, "How the fuck is this a _'good ending'_!?"

Then after a single blink, he had found himself standing in front of the familiar set of computers he used for hacking. He heard Vanderwood singing deafeningly as he vacuumed the unkempt living room. He didn't realize that he was staring at his phone, chatting with the others on the messenger, and when he read the chat history, he could not believe his eyes.

Because it was their conversation right before they met Aoi.

It had taken all of Seven's willpower to not vomit then and there.

He ran to Vanderwood and fearfully asked what had just happened, enumerating the occurrences just moments before. His co-worker merely shrugged him off and told him to go away—that he was disrupting his concentration. When Luciel didn't budge and continued yelling things like "good ending" or humming the tune of the mysterious sound, Vanderwood surmised that the hacker had finally lost it, forcing the redhead out of the room and locking the room from within.

So Seven decided to ask each and every RFA member who was logged into the messenger if they had also gone through the same situation. They had ignored him, of course, while others chastised him to stop joking around.

He had called V afterwards but the older man just told him that he was probably tired and stressed because of all the work the agency kept giving him.

So he tried contacting Aoi, but her contact information had totally disappeared from his phone. She didn't even have a profile on the messenger anymore.

And when he entered the chatroom once again, he saw the other members welcome his return. So he decided to play along—to converse with them the exact same way he had done before.

But now, he lost count on the number of times his world would go black, glow, and go back to the way it was before they met _her—_ or what he preferred to think, when his world would reset.

He had no idea why this was happening nor did he have anyone to confide in.

He was alone.

So as he, once again, felt his heart break a little more when he watched his friend propose to the love of his life, the world went dark, set ablaze, and turned back in time.

He was sick of it.

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

Seven was sitting in front of his desktops as he read the contents of his mobile's screen. He yawned, already knowing where their conversation eventually led to.

 _ **Jumin Han:**_ Whatever. I couldn't care less what you say.

 _ **ZEN:**_ What's the difference between recruitment and nepotism?

The hacker sighed, wanting to respond differently but couldn't. In the past, he had tried to alter his replies with various witty and ridiculous comments that he knew would either make them leave the chatroom immediately or pretend that he didn't exist. But alas, he had failed because every time he was about to type, he would see that he had already sent a text—using the exact same words as he had during previous "lifetimes." And whenever he tried clicking away on his keypad to say more than necessary, nothing appeared on-screen. The same happened whenever he wanted to speak up before his so-called turn.

 _Who cares about nepotism?_ He thought. _I wanna talk about cardboards and cats... and_ Aoi.

But of course he couldn't bring her up.

 ** _707:_** Thought they r the same? O_O

 ** _Jumin Han:_** It's nepotism if you recruit a person you know and they aren't of any help.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Oh... So you become a candidate for nepotism the same time you're recruited!

Seven stole a glance at the topmost part of his device where all the active RFA members were shown. He spots Aoi's name and smiles.

 _Will you pick me this time?_ He couldn't help but wonder.

 ** _707:_** Wait!

 ** _Yoosung:_** Why?

 ** _ZEN:_** ?

 ** _707:_ Think someone entered the chat room;;**

 ** _Jumin Han:_** Aoi...?

Luciel let out a _tsk_. Shouldn't _they_ be the ones who remember how lucky they were to have felt the pure and genuine love she gave them? Shouldn't _they_ remember how she literally changed their lives? Yet despite those thoughts, he somehow found it endearing that he was the only person who did.

Because it also meant that he had a special connection with her... At least he wanted it to be! How else could he be optimistic after experiencing so much heartbreak and rejection?

 ** _ZEN:_** Wtf. How did it get in here?

 _Aoi!_

 ** _707:_ Hacker!**

 ** _Aoi:_** ...wut? Seven?

Seven's eyes widened in astonishment. He did not expect that. And that was saying something because he could practically predict—no... he _came from_ , rather—the future!

 ** _Yoosung:_** Seven do u know who it is?

 ** _Aoi:_** I think ive gone insane hahahahha...

 ** _ZEN:_** lolol i can see how it knows Seven haha they're both crazy!

 ** _ZEN:_** But dude.. why would u just add a random person to the messenger without even telling us?

Luciel could only stare at the screen in horror.

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** I agree. That's not like you at all.

 _What is happening?_

 ** _Yoosung:_** Jaehee!

 _This isn't supposed to happen!_

 ** _Jumin Han:_** Let's get straight to the point. Stranger, how did you find this app?

 _What the hell is going on?_

 ** _Aoi:_** omg ahahha why arent there any options?

 ** _Aoi:_** why can i type?

 ** _Aoi:_** **WHY THE HELL AM I TYPING!?**

Seven quickly closed the window that was displayed on one of his computers.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Seven, ur friend is scary T_T

He accessed the security cameras located in Rika's apartment.

 ** _Aoi:_** This is probably just a dream ahahahaha;;

He couldn't breathe.

 ** _ZEN:_** Seven! Dude! Is it a hacker too!?

 ** _Jumin Han:_** Answer me, stranger.

There, on his monitor, was not the Aoi he knew.

 ** _Aoi:_** this is probably my best dream ever~ lolololol

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** Seven, why aren't you replying?

Gone was the long brown hair he had always wanted to touch.

Gone were the beautiful golden eyes he always wanted to drown in.

Gone was the girl he had always wanted to be his.

Instead, there was a black haired girl crying in a desolate corner of the room with her knees held close to her chest. Her phone laid beside her as she ran her hands through her hair over and over, occasionally wiping at her tearstained face.

 ** _707 has left the chatroom_**

* * *

 **i really had fun writing this! i hope u had fun reading too :)**

 **it broke my heart having to imagine Seven's struggle after every reset... that's how i pictured him having to cope with it and loving the mc in every route :(**


	2. chapter one: day 1

**Hello! I really wanna thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed the story and me! I was so shocked when i saw my notifs and they really motivated me to write.**

 **I am so sorry for updating so late :( I honestly wanted to upload this chapter a week after posting the first part but then... i kept on reading mangas, books, and even other fanfics, i couldnt stop watching animes, and ive also been fangirling too hard because of my fujoshi self... ANYWAYS IM SORRY AGAIN AND THANK YOU EVERYONE!**

 **i'll stop boring u now lolol**

 **Disclaimer: cheritz owns mystic messenger lolol**

* * *

 _ **chapter one: day 1**_

She didn't know what to make of her situation. After all, the only thing she wanted to do was play her favorite otome game after an exhausting day at school—to simply relax before having to deal with her dreadfully large pile of homework.

So how the hell did she manage to end up in a room she'd never even _been_ to!?

The walls were covered with white and beige tiles, and the floor was made up of dark wooden planks. Files were lazily strewn across a desk across the safe and wardrobe which were situated beside the white-sheeted bed, and a computer table stood ahead of the said futon.

She glared at the phone in her hand—the only mundane object in the area—immediately upon realizing her misfortune.

 _I'm probably just imagining things,_ she reasoned with herself. _I'm just tired! Yeah... just tired..._

She rubbed her eyes repeatedly and pinched herself several times, but to her disappointment, she was still there. And after one last hopeful slap to her face, she paused for a moment before finally letting the thought completely sink in.

 _This is real._

She jumped out of the bed, phone clutched tightly in hand as she ran around the room, hoping to find any kind of indication as to where she may be.

She marched to the window first since that was obviously the most rational thing to do. She was _extremely_ high up—that was the first thought that came to mind when she looked down on countless microscopic people and cars that moved through the busy streets. The sky was pouring quite heavily, much to her confusion, for she had just barely survived a scorchingly hot day. The unfamiliar buildings that lined the streets did not relieve her from her rapidly growing panic, at all.

After somewhat recovering from her shock, she searched through the wardrobe which oddly contained countless brown dresses of the same design. She could have sworn that she had seen them before, though...

She headed to the desktop. Hope had risen in her chest but when she turned it on, it vanished as quickly as it came. It was apparently locked by a complex passcode that were neither 0-0-0-0 nor 1-2-3-4.

Most of the drawers were locked, as well. And when she _did_ find the rare few that weren't, they either held useless junk or were simply empty.

So she gave up, throwing herself on a desolate corner and opening her phone absentmindedly as her eyes glazed through the screen.

 _This is so messed up. I'm still playing Mystic Messenger even though I've been kidnapped._

She scanned through the RFA members' conversation which was unsurprisingly about nepotism. And as if they sensed that she was reading, Seven pointed out her existence.

 ** _707:_ Think someone entered the chat room;;**

 ** _Jumin Han:_** Aoi...?

Her eyes widened in horror when she read 707's and Jumin's message. But she reasoned with herself that this was part of the prologue—it wasn't anything knew.

 ** _ZEN:_** Wtf. How did it get in here?

 ** _707:_ Hacker!**

But wasn't it way too coincidental? She decided on intervening before any of the others replied, knowing that it was impossible for her message to _actually_ send! This was probably just a new update, after all.

 ** _Aoi:_**...wut? Seven?

Her smile slowly faded. It actually went through.

 _ **Aoi:**_ I think ive gone insane hahahahha...

She couldn't help but stare blankly at the screen as the others reacted to her response.

How could that be? How could that possibly be?

 _ **Aoi:**_ omg ahahha why arent there any options?

 _ **Aoi:**_ why can i type?

 _ **Aoi:**_ **WHY THE HELL AM I TYPING!?**

 _This is a dream right?_

 _ **Yoosung:**_ Seven, ur friend is scary T_T

 ** _Aoi:_** This is probably just a dream ahahahaha;;

 _Right?_

 _ **Jumin Han:**_ Answer me, stranger.

 _ **Aoi:**_ this is probably my best dream ever~ lolololol

 _Right!?_

Her phone dropped from her hand as her grip on it loosened, unable to register the sharp pain in her knee upon the cellular device's collision. She was torn between crying or tearing her hair out. Involuntary sobs escaped her throat.

Aoi finally knew where she was.

And she was not as eager to answer a call from an RFA member as she had been before, let alone 707's. Her hands struggled to cover her mouth as bawls escaped her lips.

She began attempting to calm herself down in order to answer her persistently ringing phone when the faces of her parents and younger brother flashed through her head.

 _What if I never see them again?_ Her heart sank. _What if I never get out of here?_

The ringing finally stopped once she wiped furiously at her tears.

 _That's not gonna happen._ She took a deep breath. _If I can get in, then I can get out._ Then exhaled slowly.

She picked her phone up once again. Jumin, Yoosung, Zen, and Jaehee were still discussing the mysterious arrival of "Seven's hacker friend," trying to grasp her attention as well as bombarding her with questions. Aoi didn't have to think twice about leaving the chatroom immediately albeit knowing that it would cause even more confusion.

Then a private message suddenly popped up.

She sniffled, clicking the notification in order to directly view the message.

 _ **707:**_ R u okay?

 _ **Aoi:**_ yes thank u

Her phone suddenly rang, Seven's caller ID appearing on the screen. She hesitantly accepted the call.

"H-hello?" She squeaked, her mouth set in an uncomfortable grimace.

"Who are you?" Luciel's voice was intimidating but she wasn't afraid in the slightest. She knew what kind of person he was and it was definitely not scary.

"A—" she cleared her throat. "My name's Aoi Fujioka."

"Don't lie," he snapped. "How did you get in there?"

"I'm not lying! Why would I even lie?"

" _How_ did you get in there?"

She flinched at the coldness of Seven's voice. "Why are you being like this?"

"Quit stalling," he said. " _Aoi._ "

She was taken aback by the way he spat out her name—as if it was a harbringer of pain and resentment, as if it was toxic. "Luciel..." she gasped. "I'm no—"

"You're a hacker, aren't you?" He was seething over the end.

"No—"

"How did you hack through my security code?"

"Wha—"

"You're—"

" _Shut up_ , _Seven._ Can't you just _listen_ to me!?" She ran her hands through her hair irritably. "I'll answer your questions. Sure. But one at a time!"

"...how did you get in there?"

She exhaled a long heavy sigh. "Poof."

"Huh?"

"Poof. Literally..." she raised her free fisted hand in the air, gesturing: _"poof!"_

"You mean..." he paused, confused as he attempted to decipher her words. "You were just... _there_?"

"Yes!" She was relieved that he quickly caught on. "You're exactly right!"

"Liar."

Her beating heart plummeted to the bottom of her stomach. "No no no no! I swear to God!"

"To God?" He feigned bewilderment. "Wow! That must be true, then."

" _Trust me, Seven!"_

"Why should I?" He scoffed.

"Because..." She faltered. Of course he would be suspicious. Why wouldn't he? Given this particular situation, she was sure as hell that she wouldn't trust herself immediately, as well.

"Well?"

Aoi took a deep breath, preparing herself for what's to come.

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

 _beep beep beep beep_

Seven's mouth dropped openas the phone's incessant beeping rang through his ears.

She had just hung up on him.

Unbelievable.

He stared at the girl on his monitor, her phone sliding across the room, far from her reach. He groaned in irritation.

 _She definitely won't be picking up my calls or replying to my texts any time soon._

"Oi!" Vanderwood called once he entered the hacker's work space. "What do you think you're doing?"

The redhead didn't bother facing his "maid." He didn't even seem to _sense_ the other man's presence due to his fixation on the CCTV feed. Vanderwood scowled, trailing his partner's line of vision which happened to be a girl who held her hands over her ears.

"I've always known that you weren't right in the head," the long-haired brunette commented wryly. "But I never expected that your abnormal tendencies would make you a stalker."

When Seven didn't show any form of acknowledgement, Vanderwood heaved an annoyed sigh as he searched for something that could garner the other's attention. He wrinkled his nose in disgust upon noticing that he was surrounded by empty Dr. Pepper cans and Honey Buddha Chip wrappers. He picked up one of the cans and chucked it at Luciel's head, smirking at the idiotic genius' dumbfounded expression.

"Oh, Ms. Vanderwood!" Seven exclaimed while closing the window that displayed the security feed. "I didn't notice you were there!" He spun his chair around in order to face Vanderwood who had his arms crossed.

The brunette had a questioning look in his eyes, gesturing towards the monitor his fellow agent had been intently watching. "Who were you watching?"

"Huh?" Seven feigned confusion. "I don't know what you mean."

Vanderwood clicked his tongue, vexed at his colleague's obvious lie. "Stop calling me 'Ms. Vanderwood.' And you know what I mean."

"As you wish, Ms. Vanderwood," The brunette scowled. Seven grinned. "And no. I really don't."

Vanderwood released a _tsk_. "Just make sure that your weird hobby doesn't affect your work or else I'm reporting you to the boss!" He stalked out of the room, pointedly slamming the door shut.

The hacker laughed as he spun back in order to return to his previous task (which had been rudely interrupted by his maid!). He clicked the icon that automatically directed to the camera in Rika's apartment, searching for the girl he had just interrogated earlier. He couldn't help but feel frustrated yet curious as he thought about her.

Maybe it was because she hadthe _same name_ as the love of his life, Aoi—the one he was waiting for, the one he was used to, and the one he was expecting. Maybe it was because she sounded so desperate—so _vulnerable_ —when they had spoken. Maybe it was because she said something utterly _unbelievable_ which he believed to be maybe true since his life itself was the epitome of impossible.

Or maybe it was because she called him _Luciel_ , a name no one but the RFA members and the agency knew. He wasn't really popular, after all.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts of the mysterious girl. But as seconds turned into minutes, he was banging his head repeatedly onto the cold, hard desk.

She was " _poof_."

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

" _I'll come fetch you soon._ "

The words rang in Aoi's ears as she bursted out of the glass double doors of the apartment complex. She bumped into numerous passersby whom, in turn, gave her disgusted yet surprised glances, but she didn't notice.

Because the only thought that her appalled mind could register was to get away; she didn't care where as long as it wasn'tthere.

Rain still fell heavily from the sky and Aoi continued running. She turned various corners and crossed multiple intersections—she didn't even bother to stop upon facing red lights! She would have been proud of it if it weren't for the profanities and middle fingers thrown her way or the fact that she was running away from an unknown threat.

She finally stopped once immense fatigue caught up with her, crashing into a puddle in front of a convenience store due to her blurry vision. She panted hard, trying to regain her breath and failed. Aoi attempted to push herself up from the ground in order to sit up but her arms were too weak, causing her to fall face first into the cold flooded ground. She was still breathing heavily— _wheezing_ because of her asthma—then opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. People who were passing by gave her pitying looks but no one dared approaching to help. Children peered at her curiously behind parents who were blocking their view and some even took a different route so that they wouldn't have to deal with her, especially since she looked so disheveled (which is a complete and utter understatement because she _really_ did look bad).

 _I need to get out of here,_ she thought, tears filling her eyes as her lungs grew tighter after each passing second. _Before the guy on the phone finds me._

"Hey! Why isn't anyone helping her!?"

Aoi's vision gradually focused on a blond boy who was standing before her, although not facing her direction. He was flailing his arms around to garner the passersby's attentions but it was no use since they merely evaded him. The boy then turned around, knowing that he had just been wasting time, and squatted to be level with Aoi's gaze.

Despite her extreme difficulty in breathing, she couldn't keep her eyes from widening in shock as she saw a panicked yet familiar set of soft purple eyes.

 _Yoosung...?_

"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes furrowing in concern.

She shook her head. Yoosung's expression suddenly shifted from franticness to determination as he slid his arms beneath her and hoisted her up in a bridal carry, albeit with slight difficulty.

"People nowadays," the blond muttered under his breath, "are freaking _trash_."

Aoi pulled at Yoosung's shirt and found herself, once again, staring at those comfortingly bright orbs.

"Thank you, Yoosung."

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

Five hours had already passed and Seven was _still_ tracking her, even though he knew it was pointless. She didn't have a single acquaintance nor did she have an identity—good enough reasons to _not_ trust her.

Vanderwood had already gone home, and as he did, he pestered Seven to do his job until he finally left the house. But of course the stubborn redhead didn't listen as he was to consumed by his curiosity and suspicions towards the mysterious Aoi.

Luciel stretched from his hunched position, hearing multiple _cracks_ , and rubbed his eyes while yawning. He hadn't slept since the night before the last.

He reached towards his last filled can of Dr. Pepper, pulling the tab and waiting for the fizz to subside. He took a swig of its contents as he opened the messenger app where a new chatroom had just been opened by the youngest among the members

 ** _Yoosung:_** You guys won't believe what happened to me today;;;;;;;

The gullible boy sent an angry emoji.

 ** _707:_** OH NO!

 ** _707:_** The kind and gentle Yoosung's dark side...

 ** _707:_ has been released!**

Luciel snickered as he sent his shocked emoji.

 ** _Yoosung:_** I'm serious!

 ** _Yoosung:_** People today are just really really **trash!**

The hacker, again, sent shocked emojis until he was able to flood the screen.

 ** _707:_** What happened!?

 ** _Yoosung:_** There was a girl on the street who was having an attack!

 ** _Yoosung:_** She was soaking wet!

 ** _Yoosung:_** **No one even bothered to help her.**

 ** _Yoosung:_** They were just staring at her as if she was an exhibit or sth! **I'M SO MAD!**

Seven furrowed his brows. They were trash, indeed.

 ** _707:_** They are trash seconded.

 ** _707:_** But what did u do?

 ** _Yoosung:_** I was shouting to everyone and asked why they weren't helping but... **_they just avoided me._**

 ** _Yoosung:_** And then I brought her to the hospital.

 ** _707:_** That's my Yoosung

 ** _Yoosung:_** Actually, I'm still here. They told me that she had an asthma attack.

 ** _Yoosung:_** I've been here for 4 hours and 30 minutes but she still hasn't woken up T_T

 ** _707:_** So ur not just a hero in LOLOL anymore~

Seven sent his sparkly-eyed emoji.

The younger boy then sent his party emoji.

 ** _Yoosung:_** But...

 ** _Yoosung:_** I never even told her my name.

 ** _Yoosung:_** I never even saw her before.

 ** _Yoosung:_** She said **"thank you Yoosung"**

Luciel sucked in a breath.

 _Could it be...?_

 _ **Yoosung:**_ Lolol she was cute too...

 _ **Yoosung:** _ Is this what they call **fate**? O_O

 ** _707:_**?

 ** _707:_** What did she look like?

He bit at his nails while his legs were shaking profusely as he dreadfully and impatiently awaited Yoosung's response.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Well... she had black hair and light skin.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Her eyes were a bit small and they were dark brown I think..?

 ** _Yoosung:_** Oh! She wore glasses too.

The redhead's heart was pounding.

 ** _707:_** **What was she wearing?**

 ** _Yoosung:_** I didn't really look but I think she was wearing a plain black shirt and a pair of joggers that looked like jeans?

 ** _Yoosung:_** Wait why do you need to know?

 ** _Yoosung:_** Do you know her?

It was too good to be true. Well, it wasn't really _good_ but he finally found her!

 ** _707:_** It's a secret~

 _Did you really think that you could just poof away,_ Aoi?

 ** _707 has left the chatroom_**

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

As Seven drove through the wet streets, it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know which hospital he was supposed to go to. So he texted Yoosung, asking which hospital he had rushed the girl to. After reading the contents of the younger boy's reply and ignoring his questions, he headed towards his destination.

He felt unnaturally giddy because for the first time in his life, things were finally going his way.

He spotted the hospital, parking in front of a convenience store that just so happened to be a block away. He wore his hood over his head before killing the engine, locking the door as he dashed to the tall white building with both hands in his pockets.

Luciel pushed the heavy transparent doors open, immediately feeling the warmth emitted by the hospital's heaters. He trotted towards the front desk where a woman in her late thirties was organizing paperwork.

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

The woman looked up from her work, obviously fatigued due to the dark circles under her eyes. She smiled, nonetheless. "Good evening. How may I help you?"

"I'm here for Aoi Fujioka," he said, politely returning the friendly smile.

"Aoi Fujioka..." she muttered, scanning through her records. Her brows furrowed and she looked back at Seven. "I'm sorry, but nobody named Aoi Fujioka is here." She rechecked her documents. "Perhaps you're in the wrong hospital?"

He shook his head, beginning to tap his foot in impatience. "No, a friend of mine said he brought her here about four hours ago. She's the one who had an asthma attack."

It took a second before the woman's eyes brightened in understanding. " _Oh_ ," she exclaimed louder than necessary, covering her mouth in surprise. She ran her eyes over possible people within hearing range and slumped her shoulder in relief upon concluding that no one had heard her outburst. "May I ask your relationship with her?"

 _Sta—suspicious victim._ "Friend."

For the last time, she bowed her head to search for Aoi's room number. "She's in room 286."

"Which floor?"

"The fourth."

The hacker withdrew from the desk, thanking the woman as he walked towards the elevator. He pressed the lone upward button and waited for the lift to reach his location, allowing his thoughts to wander towards Aoi; not the stranger who coincidentally had the same name, but the beautiful brunette he loved so painfully much... The light that shone blindingly amidst the darkness that shrouded his whole being.

He found himself reminiscing every single interaction he had with her: from seeing her name in the messenger for the first time to watching her be proposed to by one of his very few friends. He never got tired of seeing her smile whenever he met her at the party, of blushing whenever she played along with his jokes, of the rapid beating of his heart whenever he saw her enter the chatroom. The list was endless!

But he eventually got tired of having her break his heart.

Ding.

Seven awakened from his bitter-sweet memories upon hearing the elevator's signal of arrival. He stepped into the vacant lift and pushed his index finger on the four button. The metal doors closed and Luciel felt himself sink as the large box that enclosed him rose.

Once the doors re-opened, he stepped out, beginning to search for Suspicious Aoi's room.

283...

284...

285...

286.

He stopped, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He laid his hand on the cold round knob and twisted it, pushing the door open to enter the room...

Where he found Yoosung staring back at him.

"S-Seven!?" The wide-eyed blond stuttered. "W-w-w-w-why the heck are you here?"

The bespectacled man merely grinned in response as he gently closed the door and walked towards the unconscious girl.

Aoi's chest weakly rose and fell as she breathed into the plastic mask that covered the lower half of her face.

"How is she?" He whispered, not at all aware of Yoosung's inability to distinguish his words, as his golden eyes trailed the rubber tube that connected Aoi's mask to the nebulizer.

"Can you say that again?" The blond scratched his head awkwardly, positioning himself beside Luciel.

"How is she?"

"Ah. She still hasn't woken up yet."

"What did the doctor say?" Seven finally strained his neck to look towards the younger boy.

"It's nothing serious. She just needs to rest for a while."

"That's good," the hacker nodded with pursed lips. His attention returned to the bedridden girl and cautiously moved towards her side as if he could wake her up at any moment.

Upon closer inspection, she seemed no older than eighteen. Her raven black hair stubbornly stuck to her sickly pale skin that shone with sweat. Her mask didn't allow him to clearly see the state she was in any further.

He thought that perhaps it was his fault that she ended up having an attack. He interrogated her ruthlessly, never once stopping to consider her emotions or even listen to what she had to say. She was desperate, after all, when they were talking on the phone, but he merely _accused_ her of being something she may or may not be just because he was blinded by rage and confusion.

His heart dropped to his stomach, regretting his irrational accusation as well as his irritation towards her which lasted for the past five hours.

Luciel reached to remove the stray hair from her forehead but hastily pulled away when Yoosung awoke him from his daze.

"Oi, Seven! How long are you gonna ignore me?"

Seven forced a grin to grace his lips before spinning towards the frustrated blond. "Whoops! I didn't see you there."

"Stop teasing me," Yoosung scowled, his voice rising. "We were just—"

The redhead quickly pressed a finger to his lips and flailed his left arm in the air. "You might wake her up," he whispered, pointing towards Aoi.

Yoosung's soft purple eyes widened in alarm and slapped both of his hands onto his mouth. "Sorry," he said quietly as his expression morphed into guilt.

"Um, it's okay?"

"Anyways, why are you here?"

"I told you. It's a secret."

Yoosung sighed in exasperation. "Stop saying that."

"It's a secret."

"I'm serious."

"Me too."

"Okay, then how do you know her?"

"...it's a secret."

The younger man pulled at his hair, preventing himself from murdering his ridiculous friend then and there. "I have the right to know!"

"Yoosung!" Seven whisper-shouted. "Be quiet!"

"Stop joking around, then!"

"I'm _not_."

"Yes, you _are!"_

"Fine," Luciel hissed. "Just _shut up_."

Yoosung grinned in satisfaction and stared at his friend expectantly.

"Make sure you don't tell a soul!"

"I will take this to my grave."

"Not even Zen or Jumin or Jaehee."

"Okay!"

"Not even V."

"Why the heck would I tell him?"

"Not even your mom."

"Just say it already!"

"Gaaaahhhh," Seven pretended to shake with fear as he wiped a non-existent tear. "I was already going to! You don't have to be so mean!"

"Just go, already!" Yoosung whined.

"She's my girlfriend!" The hacker finally said in mock embarrassment.

 _"What!?"_

There was a knock on the door and a nurse barged into the room. "Excuse me, but visiting hours are over."

"Yes, we'll leave in a moment," Luciel called as the woman shut the door. He turned to his shocked friend. "Don't tell anyone, okay?" He winked.

He stopped at the closed door to wait for Yoosung to gather his possessions.

"I don't understand," the gullible boy said as he passed by Seven to open the door. "How did you get a girlfriend before me?"

"Because you're too young to be in a relationship,my friend."

"Just by one year!"

Seven laughed, although half-heartedly. His mind still whirled in confusion and guilt, but there was one thought that popped up more than any other.

 _Aoi, where could you be?_

* * *

 **What did u guys think? I wanna know lolol**

 **See ya next time!**


	3. chapter two: day 2 – AM

**Hello! I've never been so determined to finish a story before and i am soooo excited!**

 **WARNING: This chapter contains a spoilers from the 1st episode of the 2nd secret afterending! It also has some spoilers from Yoosung's and Jumin's routes! Read at your own discretion.**

 **Disclaimer: i do not own mystic messenger lolol**

* * *

 ** _chapter two: day 2 – A.M._**

 _"I'm home!" Aoi bellowed as she swung the door that led into her home wide open. She was greeted by silence to which she didn't pay any mind to. Her mother was most likely still out buying groceries, her father was probably managing construction sites, and her brother was presumably training for his upcoming baseball game. She would never admit it but she really was the least active among her family members, especially since she would always refuse to participate in any activity that involved society._

 _Aoi stepped out of her shoes and lazily tossed them to the side, not bothering to slip into her flip flops. She didn't care about inevitably receiving an earful from her mom about how dirty the floor was because all she could think of was how hot, hungry, and exhausted she was. Besides, Aiko Fujioka was a clean-freak; she probably wouldn't have been able to leave the house if she had spotted even a speck of dust—a valid argument itself!_

 _Aoi padded across the wooden floorboards towards the kitchen where a cup of instant ramen awaited to be heated. Her mouth watered upon thinking about the aroma that the unhealthy snack exuded as well as the spiciness that left her taste buds wanting for more._

 _She walked towards the water heater, proceeding to pour a decent amount of water into it. After pressing the button that allowed the conductor to heat, she turned on the electric fan and sat down on the closest chair—which was conveniently situated right next to her—in order to wait for the much needed ingredient that would make her meal edible._

 _Aoi sighed deeply while she was slumped on the counter with her arms crossed to cushion her forehead, attentively waiting for the_ click _that would signal her freedom from suffering. Instead of hearing the anticipated_ click _, however, she heard the landline go off from the living room. She groaned in irritation, disregarding it as a nuisance that shouldn't be bothered with. Whoever the person from the other end of the line was would inevitably give up and leave a message or call back later, anyways._

 _So Aoi merely ignored it and chose to wait for the red light on the water heater turn orange since straining her ears for any clicks would be all for naught thanks to the ringing that just. Wouldn't. Stop!_

 _"Alright, alright!" She hissed at the telephone as she stood up from her comfortable position and stomped towards the living room. "Just shut the fuck up already, damn it!"_

 _Normally, she wouldn't be this irritable, but since she had been subject to terrible circumstances at that very moment, she believed that she deserved some peace and quiet at the very least._

 _Once the source of her continuously escalating annoyance was within arm's reach, the raven haired girl took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. When Aoi concluded that she probably wouldn't channel her rage on the cluelessly stupid caller, she reached to grab the handset and answered with a forcedly sweet voice, "Hello?"_

 _"Aoi Fujioka," the unexpected low and eerie voice sent shivers down her spine. "I'll come fetch you soon."_

 _She knew that voice, but couldn't quite place to whom it belonged to. All she knew that the owner was not someone she wanted to deal with due to the turmoil that suddenly struck her entire being._

 _She didn't notice her shaking free hand as well as her trembling knees. "Wh-Who," she stuttered. "Who is this?"_

 _A deep and crazed cackle was the only answer she received before—Beep! Beep! Beep!_

 _The stranger hung up._

 _She absently dropped the phone from her hand, unaware of its loud crash as it collided with the wooden floor._

 _His words repeatedly rang through her mind, causing her to bolt out of the living room, into the entry, and out of her home to which she came face-to-face with heavy rain showers and a bustling street of countless people. Unfamiliar structures surrounded her._

 _She had no idea where she was or how the hell she had gotten there. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as she spun around to find that her house was gone and was replaced by a tall apartment complex with large glass double doors._

 _Then suddenly a hand yanked her own in a firm grip. She yelped at the sudden contact but was unable to scream in terror because another shot up to cover her mouth._

 _"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a naughty girl," a man whispered into her hear. She recognized that it was the same person she was in a hurry to run away from. Her eyes widened in horror as she struggled in his arms, elbowing his abdomen in a wild flurry of panic. "I told you that I'd fetch you... Why couldn't you just be a good girl and stay put?"_

 _She continued her useless attempt to scream and thrash around but passersby simply ignored her—as if she wasn't even there at all._

 _"Well, it doesn't matter since you're here now," The hand that held hers finally let go but the other that concealed her desperate screams stubbornly held her firmly in place. "I'll take you to paradise."_

 _Then Aoi's vision suddenly turned black._

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

The nurse yelped as the nebulizer slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the white tiled floor with a painful noise which indicated that it was indeed broken. She shuffled quickly towards the now-conscious patient who had abruptly sat upright on her bed, panting heavily with cold sweat covering her entire body.

"Are you okay?" The shaken woman grabbed the teen's shoulders. "How are you feeling right now?"

As if just noticing that she wasn't the only occupant of the room, the girl looked directly at the nurse in surprise and nodded. "I—" Aoi was cut off by coughs spewing out of her mouth. Her throat was apparently dry and scratchy.

The older woman hastily retrieved a bottle of water and poured the contents into a paper cup. As soon as it was filled, she carefully handed it to Aoi and the recipient gratefully took it, immediately drinking the refreshing liquid in big gulps.

Once the patient emptied the cup, she handed it back to the nurse's waiting hand.

"Thank you so much," Aoi smiled.

"No need to thank me," the nurse chuckled as she returned the bottle and the cup to their original spots. "It's my job after all."

Aoi was about to protest but decided against it, laying back down to rest her head on the pillow. She realized that she didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Why am I here?"

"A boy brought you here yesterday and said that you collapsed. You had an asthma attack due to immense fatigue. You're really lucky that you didn't catch a fever after being exposed to that storm."

Aoi was rather perplexed at first but was then able to recall the series of unbelievable events that had occurred. "Oh..."

"It's a pity that you'd woken up just now," the nurse bent down to clean the mess she had caused just moments before and deeply sighed. "There goes my paycheck..."

The teen knitted her brows together in confusion. "Why?"

The older woman didn't seem to hear, apparently too focused on her current task. Aoi cleared her throat and the nurse finally glanced in her direction.

"Did you say something?"

"Why is it bad that I just woke up now?"

"Ah. Your boyfriend left around fifteen minutes before you woke up," she grinned. "I would've called him but I'm sure he's already long gone."

"B-b-b-b-b—" Aoi was at a loss for words. " _Boyfriend!?_ I'm sorry but you must've made a mistake. I... I _never_ had a boyfriend in my whole life!" Her entire pale face set aflame along with her ears which hadn't gone unnoticed by the nurse much to her embarrasment.

"Oh really?" She wiggled her brows teasingly, resulting in a darker shade of red to grace the asthmatic girl's visage. "He came by last night too and he was obviously worried about you." Aoi cringed in extreme discomfort.

"That doesn't mean he's my boyfriend! What did he look like?"

"He had red hair and some funky glasses. Weird guy, if you ask me."

Aoi blinked.

 _That is definitely 707._

"Oh... we're just... acquaintances..." She let out a tense laugh, recalling her not-so-friendly interaction with the hacker.

The woman smiled even wider. "That's not what I heard."

"Huh?"

"I'll be back in a bit. I'll need to let the doctor know that you're already awake."

"Wait!"

Once the nurse shut the door, Aoi let out a huff that somehow calmed her jumbled emotions.

 _What the hell was that about?_

Her right hand reached to cup her cheek. She was still burning.

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

Seven was quick to adapt on the dumbfounding changes he was forced to undergo, determined to find out what had gone wrong—or perhaps what went _right_ , since the world resetting was an unnatural phenomenon in itself.

He took his time walking through the park's concrete path and found that being surrounded by the green scenery relieved him from tension.

 _I should go here more often._

Then he saw the children frolicking about in the playground with their goofy grins that put the cheshire cat to shame—except they weren't creepy at all. Memories of Luciel's own childhood rose from the dark depths of his mind and he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He unconsciously stopped in his tracks to look up at the sky, remembering the day he brought his brother—Saeran—outside for the first time in his life. He remembered how his younger twin's eyes gleamed in admiration as his eyes raised toward the heavenly blue.

 _"Do clouds change their shape every day?" Saeran asked, eyes not moving away from the sky._

 _"I don't really look up at the sky often so I don't know," Seven replied. "They all seem the same to me."_

 _"It's amazing... I hope they change all the time. I just want to sit outside and stare at the clouds all day."_

 _Seven's brother closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finally directing his gaze towards his twin. "Just staring at the clouds... without being afraid that Mommy will come back. I'll be able to do anything when I become an adult."_

 _The supposedly stronger twin's heart constricted when he saw the tears that threatened to spill from the frail boy's broken eyes. "I'm going to free you before you become an adult."_

 _Saeran nodded, although a bit hesitant as if not really believing his words. "Okay..."_

 _"Some day," Seven promised, his voice firmer—more sure—than before. "You and I will get out of this place."_

But they never did. Together.

And he realized that by doing so, he ended up ruining Saeran's life upon laying eyes on him at the Mint Eye headquarters during Yoosung's and Jumin's "routes"; that V had betrayed him—had _fooled_ him into believing that abandoning his brother was his only option.

So he had become compelled to stop playing along with whatever he was going through. He stopped thinking about work and even the RFA in order to save his one and only brother. But whenever he attempted straying from his mundane routine, a strange force would always get in his way and make his body act against his will.

Which made the guilt that had already been eating him up so much worse because to him, knowing that Saeran was suffering out there—somewhere so close, yet so far—and not being able to do anything about it was enough to be eternally tortured for.

Maybe the resets were his punishment?

"Oi," a shout that was directed toward the hacker pulled him out of his painful thoughts. Luciel strained his neck to find the source and let out a fake grin once he saw his friend in the middle of his daily morning jog. "Why are you just standing there like an idiot? You're scaring the kids!"

True to Zen's words, the previously laughing children distanced themselves from the redhead and glanced back at him every now and then warily. Seven scratched the nape of his neck and laughed. "My bad."

Zen rolled his eyes and grabbed his friend's arm to drag him to an empty bench. When they sat down, the actor peered at Seven curiously. "So what brings you outside your cave?"

Luciel scoffed in mock indignation. "I'm _always_ outside!"

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

"I will."

"Anyways, I'm glad I ran into you," the self-proclaimed "God's mistake" leaned against the backrest.

Seven slowly inched towards the clueless silverhead and chuckled manically. "Oh really?" He reached out to pinch both of Zen's flawless cheeks.

"Yeah—" Zen glanced at the hacker whose hands were mere centimeters from his face. He jumped away to the far end of the bench, narrowly escaping the oncoming threat. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"...I was gonna pinch your cheeks?"

" _Why!?"_

"Because they looked soft."

"What's _wrong_ with you!?"

"Many things!" Luciel proudly exclaimed as he proceeded to slide from his position to get close to the cowering actor.

"Don't you dare come any closer!"

Seven pouted in disappointment and Zen frowned at him in disgust. When the silverhead concluded that his friend had given up on further advances, he relaxed.

"As I was saying," the actor glared at the hacker. "I had a dream last night."

Luciel gasped, slapping his cheeks. "About... me?"

"What? _No!"_

"You don't have to be shy Zen! I respect everybody's preferences."

Zen sighed sharply, "Geez, stop talking about random shit. I'm _serious!_ "

The redhead chuckled. "Then I'm all ears."

Zen stared at Seven blankly for a few seconds. The hacker stared back at him in confusion as if unable to decipher the reason the actor was so irritated.

"So I had a dream," Zen paused to which Luciel urged him to go on. "It was pretty disturbing—" the hacker gasped "so rude!" but the silverhead merely ignored him. "—and I'm not sure if it was a prophetic dream or not."

This earned Seven's undivided attention which Zen gladly welcomed.

"There was this girl in a hospital gown, I think? And she just kept on running in a deserted part of town—"

"What did she look like?"

"I'm getting there," Zen muttered in annoyance. "She had long brown hair with full bangs and she had light colored skin. Her eyes were amber. Pretty cute if I do say so myself."

Luciel clenched his hands into fists, his nails painfully digging into his palms until they were almost able to draw blood.

"Seven, are you okay?" Zen was looking at him with eyebrows furrowed in concern. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Seven grimaced. "Perfectly fine. You were saying?"

"...Are you sure?"

"Are you worried about me, Zen?" Luciel winked and his friend gagged.

"Ugh, I was so wrong to. Anyways, she was running in the middle of the night when someone suddenly pulled her into an alley. I was only able to catch a glimpse of the kidnapper and I saw a creepy tattoo on his shoulder."

The hacker's heart skipped a beat, his eyes casting down. Just how far had his brother fallen?

"Did it look like an eye?"

"Yeah! Yeah, it did. Wait, how did you know?"

"Just a guess."

Zen didn't look the least bit convinced and Seven took that as his cue to leave. He stood up and bid goodbye to the perplexed actor.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"It's a secret~!"

Luciel quickened his strides with the hospital he had just left in mind, leaving Zen to watch him take a sharp turn and away from sight.

Was this perhaps the clue he had been desperately waiting for?

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

"Get your sorry ass back here, you idiot!" Vanderwood's voice boomed as soon as Seven accepted the call. "Your job is supposed to be finished in _three_ days. Where the hell are you?"

The hacker sighed in exasperation. "I know that."

"Well, congratulations because you just graduated from being an idiot and became a fucking _lunatic!_ You know how dangerous this client is, don't you!? Our rival agency and everyone in it _disappeared_ without a trace after missing their deadline by _one seco_ —!"

"I _know_ ," Luciel hissed as he caught sight of the hospital. "Something more important came up. I'll make sure to finish it when I get home."

His colleague scoffed. "What could possibly be 'more important' than this?"

"I can't tell you that," he grunted while pushing the doors that led into his destination's interior. "The boss told me that it was confidential information."

A long pause. "Well that's odd. He usually passes messages through me."

As Seven walked past the front desk, he grinned and silently waved back at the woman who was also positioned there the previous night. "I guess he doesn't trust you enough with this one," he mockingly snickered and hung up before the foul-mouthed brunet had the chance to retaliate.

Following what somewhat became a routine, it was not long before he reached room 286. But of course he wasn't able to stop his overflowing thoughts along the way.

 _Why would Zen have a dream about the Aoi?_

 _Was it really a prophetic dream?_

 _But Zen isn't supposed to remember who Aoi is._

 _Then again, he isn't supposed to know about Saeran either!_

 _And his dreams are right most of the time._

 _Maybe that other Aoi knows something?_

 _Did she really not know how she'd gotten there?_

 _This isn't just some coincidence._

Luciel violently shook his head, knowing that merely thinking about the whole thing was pointless. Thus, he grabbed hold of the doorknob and—

He jumped upon seeing a middle-aged doctor leaving the room at the same time he was supposed to enter. He politely stepped to the side, his body tensing. "Did something happen?"

The doctor simply gave him a comforting smile to which he gratefully relaxed. "She's awake. We just examined her and she seems to be fine now. She'll be discharged soon after resting a bit more."

Seven's apparently tensed muscles sagged in relief. "Thank you!"

He passed through the doorway, grinning at the nurse with barely contained glee, and gradually closed the gap between him and the bed. But then he stopped in his tracks when he saw the girl who was occupying said bed completely wrapped in white sheets without so much as a strand of hair in sight.

"Good luck," the nurse called and shut the door.

Luciel cleared his throat, burying his hands in his jacket's pockets in an attempt to one-sidedly soothe the awkward atmosphere. It didn't work.

"Hi."

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

After retracting the stethoscope from her back and writing notes on his clipboard, the doctor gave her an approving glance.

"Looks like you're free to go soon, but only after resting here for a short while."

Aoi fell back to fully lay on the bed. "When do you think is that?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps tonight at the latest if your lungs keep this up."

The nurse gave her a thumbs up from behind him and Aoi grinned.

"I'll be back at around 2 o'clock for your next check up," the man then turned his back to her without waiting for her response and the nurse followed suit. But as he strode toward the exit, a thought occurred to the bedridden patient.

"Oh, wait!" Aoi called to which the pair paused and glanced at her in question. "Um... Do you know where my phone is?"

The doctor pointedly looked towards the nurse and continued his journey towards the door.

"It wasn't surrendered when that blond boy took you here," she said. "So maybe it's with him."

"Oh... okay," Aoi frowned in disappointment. That small device was what admittedly kept her sane. Now that she lost her only connection to familiarity, she felt so, so alone. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

The young nurse quickened her pace once she saw that the doctor had already vacated the room. And upon seeing that the man was talking to another, both ends of her lips went up.

"Hey, Aoi," she whispered loud enough for the girl to hear.

"Yes?"

"Your boyfriend's here," she laughed at the shell-shocked raven who was blushing profusely.

" _He's not my boyfriend,_ " Aoi hissed, frantically adjusting her blanket as she attempted to wrap herself into a cocoon.

"Hey, don't move too much! You're supposed to be resting!"

Aoi stilled, inwardly wishing that Seven would simply _leave_ because a confrontation was the last thing she needed after all the insanity she had gone through!

Fast footsteps began shuffling into the room until they came to a halt—probably surprised by the messily wrapped ball she had decided to cover herself as. The bespectacled hacker stared at her for quite a long time and Aoi had never felt so judged until that very moment.

Thankfully, the nurse broke the awful silence, albeit not in the most favorable way by chirping out a teasing "good luck!"

This made Aoi's current situation so much worse due to the doubled heat she felt beneath the sheets.

The gentle click of the door which indicated that they were now alone did not help her at all.

"Hi," Seven awkwardly said.

She didn't dare respond, willing the hacker to believe that she wasn't there at all. But of course he wasn't stupid.

"How are you feeling?"

Luciel was met with silence, yet again, causing him to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. He didn't want to show how uncomfortable the silence made him feel so he walked around the room, struggling to maintain his unfazed facade.

"How long are you planning to ignore me, Aoi?"

The girl stiffened at that and the sudden movement hadn't gone unnoticed by the golden eyes that were unwaveringly trained on her. She flinched at the unpleasant noise created by a chair scraping against the floor. Across from her line of sight through the thin cloth, Aoi watched as the hacker positioned it close to her bedside and let it go with a loud _thud_.

Seven sat on the chair and sank his elbows on the bed, holding his hands together beneath his chin. He poked at the massive lump on the bed.

No reaction.

He raised an eyebrow at that and poked again. This time with a little more force. Nothing.

So he stood up and sat on the bed, stretching his arms to the lump and tickled its sides, earning a large amount of giggles.

"St-stop tha—!" Aoi couldn't control her guffaws as they came pouring out of her mouth. "HEY!"

Luciel did not comply. "Not until you get out of that cocoon," he grinned. He honestly didn't expect this to work. He was lucky that she was ticklish.

"O-okay fine!" She laughed. "J-just p-please stop!"

The hacker withdrew his hands and Aoi quickly removed herself from the suffocatingly hot sheets. As she took deep breaths to ease her breathing, Seven silently watched her do so.

"How are you feeling?" He repeated.

Aoi warily glanced at him and shifted away, completely aware of their close proximity. He saw through her discomfort and slid off the bed to sit back down on the chair.

The raven decided to disregard his question and interrogate him before he mercilessly asked her.

"Did Yoosung tell you I was here?"

The bespectacled redhead ignored her not-so-suave way of changing the topic. "Yes. But he has no idea who you are."

"How did you know it was me, then?"

"There are more important things than that."

"Oh, really?" Aoi narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, I still wanna know."

The awkward air in the room shifted to tension as they stared at each other with growing hostility.

"Fine," Seven begrudgingly said. "He said he saved a girl he never met and she thanked him."

"So...?"

"He told me that you said his name."

Aoi paled. She had completely forgotten to act logically through her dazed state.

 _Shit._

The now-smug hacker leaned back on his chair. "Speaking of which, You did it again just now. So tell me, how do you know his name?"

She immediately came up with a lie and she mentally patted herself on the back. "We go to school together. He's my upperclassman."

"Yoosung's a freshman in university. And judging from your appearance, I would say that you're a high school student in your senior year. Eighteen years old. Am I right?"

 _Damn, he's spot on..._

Aoi huffed in indignation, determined to go through with her lie. "I meant that he was my upperclassman in high school."

Seven smirked. "Where did he used to study, then?"

The raven's confidence faltered and the hacker couldn't help but feel amused. He obviously didn't plan to go easy on her.

"That doesn't matter!" She shouted after what seemed like eternity. "Why are you here, anyway?"

Luciel leaned forward while Aoi withheld a squeak as she leaned back and stubbornly glared at the man. Who knew 707 was such a jerk?

"I believe that you should be answering that question."

Aoi's hands were nervously fiddling underneath the white sheets yet didn't dare look away from the storm brewing in those golden eyes.

"Where is the real Aoi?"

* * *

 **Thoughts, anyone? Feedback is _very_ much appreciated!**

 **WAAHHHH I LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH THIS STORY!**

 **Until next time! :)**


	4. chapter three: day 2 – PM (part 1)

**I actually planned on finishing this update last april, specifically on the 26th, in celebration (although it's not rlly worth celebrating since this is just the 3rd chapter... *hides in shame*) for TLED's anniversary since it'd been... a year... since it was published... hahaha... imsoashamedrightnowyouhavenoidea...**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _chapter three: day 2 — P.M. (_** ** _part_** ** _1)_**

It was a good thing Yoosung's classes were suspended because he couldn't take it any longer.

He spent all of his time trying to wrap his head around the new piece of information he had received ever since his friend broke the news to him.

Seven had a girlfriend. A real girlfriend. A cute girlfriend. _A really cute girlfriend._

Nope, he just couldn't accept it.

Yoosung slumped back on his chair and groaned, forcefully pressing the heels of his palms onto his closed eyelids.

It wasn't fair. After all, it was _Seven_. How the heck did he even manage to get a girlfriend before Yoosung did!?

Yoosung dropped his arms in resignation and stared up at the ceiling. He puffed his cheeks as he gazed at its plain whiteness, loudly blowing the air out of his mouth when he eventually found the lone black spot that never failed to irk him ever since he moved in.

They were both similar, the dot and Seven. Just how the spot was disrupting the ceiling's neatness, the hacker was invading the tranquility of Yoosung's mind... They didn't care how much they bothered him.

Yoosung spun around in his seat and let out another groan. Damn, he was jealous. He needed to find a distraction, but unfortunately LOLOL wasn't an option because it was still under server maintenance.

His soft purple eyes trailed to his smartphone that was situated on the right side of his computer's mouse.

Yoosung may have sworn to not tell the others that Seven had a girlfriend, but that didn't mean he couldn't say that _a friend of his_ had one.

The blond grabbed for his mobile, his emotions flooding within him as if a dam had broken the moment his fingers wrapped around the sleek covering of his phone.

Yoosung clicked on the RFA's messenger icon and immediately saw that Jaehee was already in the chatroom. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

 ** _Yoosung has entered the chatroom._**

He sent his crying emoji, his mood dipping along with the tears that flew from the character's scrunched lids.

 _ **Yoosung:**_ Life is sooooooo unfair T_T

 _ **Yoosung:**_ How come I don't have a girglsdfirend!?

 ** _Jaehee:_** A girglsdfirend...?

 _ **Jaehee:**_ Yoosung, what's gotten into you? And don't you have classes right now?

 ** _Yoosung:_** Classes got cancelled lolol

 _ **Yoosung:**_ Ya T_T

 ** _Yoosung:_** I found out recently that a friend has one and I just don't get it!

 ** _Yoosung:_** HWO COME I CAN'T GET A GIRLFIREND?!

Yoosung sent his crying emoji once more, while Jaehee responded using her annoyed one.

 _ **Jaehee:**_ Oh, a girlfriend.

 ** _Jaehee:_** There are 4 answers to that question.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Really!?

 ** _Yoosung:_** Tell me!

 _ **ZEN has entered the chatroom**_

 ** _Jaehee:_** First of all, you're short.

Yoosung's eyes widened in horror. He didn't expect that she'd actually point out his flaws.

 _ **Jaehee:**_ Second, you always waste your time because of your addiction to LOLOL.

When it came to Jaehee, why did all his bad traits lead to LOLOL!?

 _ **Jaehee:**_ Third, you are not wild enough.

The blond could only stare with his jaw left agape.

 _ **Jaehee:**_ And fourth, your hoodie.

Too baffled to know what to say, he tapped on his shocked emoji.

He regretted telling Jaehee. Instead of relieving himself from the burden in his chest, it worsened by bleeding from the four consecutive arrows that Jaehee pierced through his heart with her blunt words.

 ** _ZEN:_ lmfaoooooooo**

 ** _ZEN:_** That's so true.

 _ **ZEN:**_ You need to be more like me, Yoosung.

As if Zen intentionally wanted to rub salt to the gamer's wounds, he sent his "lovely Zen" emoji.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Precisely.

Yoosung needed to find better friends.

 ** _Yoosung:_** u guys are so mean T_T

 _ **Jaehee:**_ I'm just trying to help you, Yoosung. You needed to know the truth at some point.

 ** _ZEN:_** Look at the bright side!

 ** _ZEN:_** You probably have a better chance than Seven. Lol what a weirdo.

 _Seven._ Of course Zen had to bring him up.

Yoosung began tapping on his keyboard with newfound fury.

 ** _Yoosung:_ HOW WOUDK YOU KNIW THAR?!**

The blond flooded the chatroom with his angry sticker.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Yoosung, what's wrong?

He did not stop pressing the emoji.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Are you okay?

Yoosung laughed bitterly.

 ** _Yoosung:_** ya

 ** _ZEN:_** Hey don't be like that.

 ** _ZEN:_** Why'd you even get mad when I mentioned Seven?

Yoosung didn't respond.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Yoosung?

He sighed. He shouldn't have gone to them for comfort in the first place.

 ** _ZEN:_** You can't just throw a tantrum then leave us hanging.

 ** _ZEN:_ Oi**

Zen was right. He was so immature.

 ** _Yoosung:_** I'm sorry.

 ** _Yoosung:_** I got carried away. It was nothing.

 ** _Jaehee:_** It obviously wasn't nothing. What's wrong, Yoosung?

 ** _Jaehee:_** We'll listen to you.

 ** _ZEN:_** Yeah!

The actor sent his winking sticker, probably in an attempt to cheer the younger boy up.

Yoosung's lips tugged into a smile then pulled back into a grimace when he remembered his promise. He tapped on his blushing sticker, nonetheless.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Thanks guys but I really can't tell you T_T

 ** _ZEN:_** Why?

 ** _Yoosung:_** Because I promised not to.

 ** _ZEN:_** Not to what?

 ** _ZEN:_** And to who did you promise not to?

 ** _Jaehee:_** Stop it, Zen.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Yoosung probably promised to keep a secret or something similar to that.

But before Yoosung got the chance to read what Jaehee said, he already clicked send.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Seven

Neither of his friends replied immediately and he wondered if there was some sort of glitch in the messenger that made him incapable of knowing whether the others had already left the chatroom or not. Soon, however, Zen and Jaehee had shown their astonishment by using their designated surprised emojis

 ** _ZEN:_ WAIT.**

 ** _ZEN:_ SO**

 ** _Jaehee:_** Zen, no. **Stop.**

 ** _ZEN:_ OHMYGOD**

 ** _ZEN:_ THIS IS NOT HAPPENING**

 ** _ZEN:_ HOW!?**

The blond scrunched his brows in confusion.

 ** _Yoosung:_** How... what?

 ** _ZEN:_ HOW THE FUCK DID SEVEN GET A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE I DID!?**

It was only at that moment when Yoosung realized that he had broken his promise.

 ** _Yoosung:_** ohmygosh

 ** _Yoosung:_** ohmygosh

 ** _Yoosung:_ OHMYGOSH**

He was so dead.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Yoosung, calm down!

He was the worst friend ever.

 ** _Yoosung:_** SEVEB U;N SI SITRT!

 ** _Yoosung:_** I'N SI SIRRY!

 ** _Yoosung:_** I DIN'T MEAN TO

 ** _Yoosung:_** I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO

Yoosung spammed his entire screen with crying emojis.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Yoosung, stop it.

Not wanting to make any of the other members loathe him as well, he complied.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Thank you.

 ** _ZEN:_** Shit. Yoosung, I'm sorry.

 ** _ZEN:_** I didn't think that I'd make you break your promise.

 ** _Yoosung:_** It's fine. It wasn't your fault T_T

 ** _Yoosung:_** It was mine.

He sent another one of his crying emojis.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Luciel probably wouldn't get mad so there's nothing to worry about.

 ** _Jaehee:_** You obviously didn't do it on purpose.

Yoosung felt a spark of hope from the older woman's words.

 ** _Yoosung:_** Yeah, you're right. Thanks Jaehee.

Jaehee sent her happy sticker.

 ** _Jaehee:_** You're welcome.

 ** _ZEN:_** Still though;;;;

 ** _ZEN:_** 707 has a girlfriend huh?

 ** _ZEN:_** Never thought I'd see the day.

Yoosung felt the same way.

 ** _ZEN:_** Especially since I ran into him at the park earlier.

 ** _ZEN:_ He was staring at kids at the playground.**

 ** _ZEN:_** They looked really scared so I had to drag him away from them;;;;

What the heck?

 ** _Jaehee:_**...

 ** _Yoosung:_** ... seconded

 ** _ZEN:_** ya

 ** _ZEN:_** He was acting more suspicious than usual when I told him about my dream too.

 ** _ZEN:_** Which was why I went online in the first place.

The blond pressed his confused emoji.

 ** _Yoosung:_** What did you dream about?

 ** _ZEN:_** I think I dreamt a prophetic dream but it was really strange.

 ** _ZEN:_** The people I dreamt about were complete strangers.

 ** _Jaehee:_** Can you describe them?

 ** _ZEN:_** A cute girl who was wearing a hospital gown and a guy with an eye tattoo on his shoulder.

Girl in a hospital gown... Could that possibly be...?

 ** _ZEN:_** Anyways, the girl was being chased by something. I didn't see who or what it was, but then the creepy dude suddenly pulled her into an abandoned alley.

Yoosung gasped.

 ** _ZEN:_** When Seven heard about that, he started leaving.

 ** _ZEN:_** He didn't even give me a chance to finish my story...

The actor sent his irritated emoji.

 ** _Yoosung:_** How did your dream end?

 ** _ZEN:_** The creepy dude took the girl's phone from her hands. She was shouting and she seemed really desperate to hold on to it.

 ** _ZEN:_** But he was really strong.

 ** _ZEN:_** The guy dialed someone's number on her phone then waited for the other person to pick up. When the person on the other end of the line did, the guy said...

Yoosung gulped, fearing that something bad was going to happen to his close friend.

 ** _ZEN:_ "Come and get her, Luciel."**

 **/.\\./.\\./.\**

"She's..." Aoi finally said, hesitantly, breaking the achingly long silence as she gazed directly into Seven's eyes. "She's my friend."

It wasn't the answer Seven was hoping to hear, but it was still something that would help him figure out what the hell was going on.

"And why should I believe that?" He inquired.

Aoi glowered, throwing her hands up in frustration. "When are you gonna stop doubting everything I say!?"

He raised a brow and felt his lips pull up at one corner into a smug smirk upon receiving a rather unexpectedly amusing reaction. Feeling the urge to see more, he mockingly said, "When I find it in me to trust you."

They stared at each other, daring the other to look away. While Aoi glared at him in irritation, Seven didn't bother to hide his delight with a challenging glint in his golden orbs, provoking her to burst out in fits of anger once more.

"Fine," she sighed, flopping back onto her bed. She seemed to be tired from the events that occurred the day before—or perhaps from his difficult attitude. "Ask me anything and I'll tell you what you wanna know."

He surveyed the patient who was waiting for his response then directed his gaze out of the window towards the same blue sky that his brother used to admire in awe.

He knew for a fact that she already knew plenty things that no ordinary stranger should, which of course, considering his field of expertise, didn't cross the idea that she was a hacker from a rival organization out of the list. But then again...

Seven's gaze shifted from the window to the watch that was wrapped around his left wrist. It was noon, 12:43 p.m. to be precise, and Aoi—the beautiful, kind-hearted one who was _not in front of him_ —was supposed to either be chatting with Zen at that very moment, conversing about the actor's passionate hatred towards felines, or not be online at all because she was scheduled to talk to Seven himself later on in the afternoon. He wasn't sure, for the universe hadn't given him a single sign that would tell him what would happen in the next couple of days.

Seven chuckled to himself, oblivious to the annoyed yet disturbed glances he received from the other occupant of the room. He couldn't help but find it laughable that even though he loathed the resets with an overwhelming intensity, it was an undeniable fact that he had already become completely accustomed to them.

Seven looked back at the raven whose gaze was trained on the wall clock, biting her lip in what seemed to be apprehension.

For some reason, he had a feeling that she could answer all of his questions but he didn't know if he was ready to find out.

"Okay," he whispered, merely audible enough for the other to hear.

Seven used to daydream about the day when something would break the never-ending cycle that existed to torture and mock him until he was on the brink of insanity.

But now that it finally arrived? He was fucking terrified.

 **\\./.\\./.\\./**

Even though it was Aoi's idea that the hacker could ask her anything in the first place, she wasn't exactly sure if she could confidently answer his questions without, once again, arousing suspicion. After all, she knew that she had to lie through her teeth during the _entire_ conversation, and she was definitely not the best liar she knew.

But she wasn't the worst either so she hopefully still had a chance.

"Do you know where she is?" Seven repeated the question she previously failed to answer the first time, but the scorn in his golden eyes had been replaced with an emotion that closely resembled pain. "Or an idea, at least?"

 _She's right in front of you,_ she thought. _But you wouldn't freakin' believe me so...!_

Aoi shook her head, fearing that if she opened her mouth, she would say something unnecessary.

A slow nod was all the redhead had done, his shoulders drooping in obvious disappointment. "Then... when was the last time you saw her?"

Although she badly wanted to sarcastically say ' _When I looked in the damn mirror._ ' to pay him back for being the most inconsiderate asshole she'd ever met and for having the most arbitrarily-timed mood swings she'd ever witnessed, she also wasn't willing to let go of the opportunity to have a civil conversation with the only hope she had of getting home.

"We walked home together after grabbing lunch when our classes were over," Aoi began, having already predicted the question and made a story up when Seven was contemplating on her offer while staring out the window for a conveniently long time. "I kept on texting her once I got home to ask about our assignment but she wouldn't reply."

"What time did you get home?"

She paused for a while, acting as if she was trying hard to remember, but in reality, she was recalling the time of her sudden appearance in Rika's apartment. "Around... 11:45 a.m."

"That was when you showed up in the messenger." Seven looked as if he was mentally solving a puzzle. "When I saw you at Rika's apartment."

"Yep."

The hacker's eyes snapped to hers, and it took every bit of Aoi's strength to not pull away from his gaze.

"How did you end up there, anyways?" He demanded. "And why were you acting as if you already knew who we were?"

Aoi sighed. She already knew how to respond to those questions, but the problem that lied with the answers Aoi already had prepared was that they were most likely going to make the man accuse her of being a liar again even though the words she was going to say were ninety percent true.

It''s crazy how lies sounded more believable than the truth.

"I—"

The door suddenly burst open, startling the pair, and in came a familiar face—an undeniably handsome one at that—that was covered with a great sheen of sweat.

It was Seven who was the first to recover.

"Yoosung told you, didn't he?"

* * *

 **I literally looked away from the keyboard when I wrote those typos AHHAHHAHAHAHHAHA**

 **Stay in tune for the next chapter~**


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